The Dallas Mavericks and Klay Thompson are searching for answers — and fast. What started as a season of high hopes has quickly degenerated into frustration and finger-pointing.
However, following Wednesday night’s 101–99 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, the once-title-contending Mavs fell to a disturbing 2-6.
To be sure, injuries have played a major role in the Mavs’ woes. All-NBA power forward Anthony Davis has been sidelined by a leg injury. And basketball magician Kyrie Irving suffered a torn ACL late last season, and his ability to return to the team this season remains in doubt.
To counter the downward spiral, head coach Jason Kidd has been forced to experiment with his rotations. But the most glaring issue has been Dallas’s shooting — or lack thereof.
And at the center of the maelstrom is Thompson.
The sharpshooter’s struggles
Thompson was imported from the Warriors last season to restore the Mavericks’ perimeter prowess after their Finals loss in 2024, Thompson was expected to be the perfect complement to Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving. Instead, the four-time NBA champion has looked like a shadow of his Golden State glory days when he was part of the greatest-shooting backcourt in NBA history.
Through eight games, Thompson is averaging just 8.5 points per game, shooting 34.2% from the field and a concerning 29.2% from beyond the arc, according to Sports Illustrated. For a player once synonymous with precision shooting, those numbers are almost unthinkable.
But on Wednesday night, something changed — at least a little.
A new role, a better rhythm
Jason Kidd made a bold move: he asked Thompson to come off the bench.
It was the first time Thompson had been benched since joining Dallas, and the move raised eyebrows around the league. Yet, the results were encouraging. In 22 minutes, Thompson scored 11 points while shooting 4-for-7 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep — his best shooting performance this year.
“I don’t mind,” Klay said after the game. “I’m going to play. I’m gonna do great things. That’s coming. I know it is.”
Kidd echoed Thompson’s sentiments, emphasizing that the decision wasn’t permanent. “This isn’t a permanent thing, but can you come off the bench?” Kidd recalled asking. “And he was good with it.”
Fans blame Megan Thee Stallion for Thompson’s woes
For at least one night, the experiment worked. But fans of the Mavs and Thompson remain skeptical. And some are looking askance at Megan Thee Stallion and, rightly or wrongly, have begun blaming the “WAP” raptress for Thompson’s shooting woes.
“The Stallion Effect,” one netizen writes on X, while another surmised, “He got the wrong basket in mind.”
Others were getting a bit more explicit. “Stallion drained the shooting juice out of Klay, no more threes for now.”
Others defend Thompson
Some fans present another perspective on Thompson, who is no longer in peak physical prime and also came back from back-to-back devastating injuries that robbed him of two consecutive years.
One NBA fan blasted those who blame Megan Thee Stallion, saying, “Man is on the wrong side of the 30, has played a million minutes, tore his achilles and ACL, and is now playing with no point guard….. and it’s Meg fault??? Lmao.”
A second fan said, “Mase and MASE discuss Klay Thompson getting benched by the Dallas Mavericks, with people trying to blame Megan Thee Stallion. They talk about how when an athlete gets with certain women, it can help you or pull you down.”
A third user said Thompson’s relationship with Megan has nothing to do with his play on the court. “I’m a Warriors fan, and trust me Klay has been on the decline way before he got to Dallas … He almost got benched in Golden State so he left lol. Dude just lost it, that’s all.”